Artificial bait



FIGJ.

J. H. HAYES ARTIFICIAL BAIT July 25, 1939.

Filed Nov. 16, 1936 INVENTOR JAMES H. HAYES I 9mm 1 his ATTORNEYM Patented July 25, 1939,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTIFICIAL BAIT James II. Hayes, New York, N. Y.

Application November 16, 1938, Serial No. 110,980

9 Claims. (Cl. 4H2) the cylinder to permit the passage of water into the interior of the eel-skin which has an opening to permit egress of the water. In this manner, a flow of water is maintained through the eel-skin as it is drawn along and the consequent inflation will cause it to appear like a live eel. The openings in the cylinder are so disposed that the entire device is given a rotary motion and at the same time the water passing out through the opening in the skin will act to deflect the device and cause it to move in a tortuous path after the manner of a fish.

Lying within the eel-skin is a fish-hook attached to a wire running through the center of the cylinder and having its barbed end extending through the opening in the eel-skin.

To complete the simulation of an entire eel a simulated eel-head is positioned slightly in advance of the open end of the eel-skin along the wire and, if desired, may be constructed as a swivel.

As a modification of the invention, the eelhead may be arranged to serve as a clamp to hold the skin on the cylinder in which case the head is provided with openings to permit water to pass therethrough to the cylinder.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be obvious from the following particular description of one form of mechanism embodying the invention or from aninspection of the accompanying drawing; and the invention also constitutes certain new and useful features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view of the entire device with the eelskin shown partly in section.

Fig. 2 is an isometric view of the cylinder.

Fig. 3 is a view of the cylinder looking from another direction.

Fig. 4 is a view showing a modified form of head and clamping means. v

Referring to the drawing, in represents the metallic cylinder with a tapered end I i over which the eel-skin I2 is drawn to cover the cylinder and extend to a circular groove ll. After the skin is drawn over the groove, any suitable clamping means, such as a-strlng, wire or snapring it may be employed to hold the skin in position.

Where an actual fresh eel-skin is available,

I the use of such skin is preferred, but a simulated 5 skin of suitable fabric or rubber may be substituted in imitation of the natural casing itself.

The cylinder l0 has a pair of tapered holes I! extending from the recess i6 to the opposite tapered end II. An axial opening I! is pro- 10 vided to receive wire I! to which is fastened a hook I! by means of a chain 20. The barbed end projects through an opening 2| in the eel-skin without closing the opening. A second opening may also be provided by puncturing the tip of the 15 skin. As the cylinder and skin are drawn along by wire i8. water will be forced into the openings i5 and will pass into the skin I! causing it to inflate. Some of the water taken in will pass out 20 through the opening 2i and the opening in the tip of the tail so that there is a constant flow through the skin. The openings l5 by virtue of their location at an angle to the axis of cylinder ill will cause the'device to spin or rotate and 26 at the same time the discharge through opening It will act against the side of the skin, causing it to deviate from a straight line and take a tortuous path through the water after the manner of alive eel, thus enhancing the natural allure 80 of the device itself.

The skin l2, after it has become dried or damaged by the prey attracted to it, may readily be replaced by simply undoing the clamp I4 and removing the used casing. 86

In the preferred form of the invention there is provided a simulated eel-head 22 which may be constructed as a swivel and spaced slightly in advance of the cylinder i0 leaving sufllcient space to permit water to enter.

As a modified form of the invention, there is provided a shell 23 with an internally threaded portion 24 for cooperation with a threaded end of reduced diameter 25 of the cylinder i0. With this construction, the end of the casing i2 can 45 readily be clamped in position by threading the shell 23 against the casing as shown in Fig. 4. The shell 23 is provided with openings 26 to admit water to the cylinder without interference.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to several modifications, it will be understood that various omissions andsubstitutions and changes in the forms and details of the devices illustrated and in their opera- 5 tion may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the inventlon. It is the intention therefore to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. An artificial lure comprising an open-ended sac having the exterior configuration and coloring of a fish, an element secured within said open end'to hold the same open and permit water to enter the sac, a simulated fish-head spaced from said open end, a wire for drawing said fish-head through the water, anda connecting wire between said fish-head and element whereby said spaced relationship will be maintained and water will enter said sac to inflate the same as it is drawn through the water.

2. An artificial lure comprising an inflatable, open ended sac of flexible material, having an opening between its open and closed ends, a metallic stopper element disposed within said open end, said element having openings therein to permit water to enter and inflate said sac, means for clamping said element within said open end including an open ended perforated shell and means to draw said element through the water whereby water will enter said perforated shell, pass through the openings in said element to the interior of the sac and out through the opening in the sac causing the sacto -i'o1low a tortuous path through the water. 7

3. An artificial lure comprising an element of circular cross-section, a'wire running through the center of said element and arranged to draw the same through the water, a fish-hook attached to said wire and trailing said element, and a headless eel-skin enclosing said element and fishhook and provided with an opening through which the barbed end of the hook extends, said element having a pair of non-parallel openings to permit water to enter the eel-skin and inflate the same as it is drawn through the water.

a. An artificial lure comprising a hollow member having the outward appearance and con"- figu'ration of an eel, means for drawing said member through the water and means including a separate device contained within said member and acted upon by the water to cause rotation of the member as it is drawn along through the water.

5. A fish bait or lure comprising a body, means for drawing the same through water, said body having a tapered hole extending therethrough and being in entirety at one side of and at an angle to a plane which includes the longitudinal axis thereof; and a hook connected to said body.

6. An artificial lure comprising a resilient openended envelope, an element positioned within said open end, said element having an opening therein arranged non-parallel to its axis and extending into the interior of the sac to admit water into the envelope, said envelope having a single opening near its closed end to permit egress of the water and means to draw said element through the water whereby the envelope will become inflated and rotate in a tortuous path.

7. An artificial lure comprising an inflatable open-ended sac of flexible material, having an opening between its open and closed ends, a stopper element disposed within said open end, said element having an opening therein to permit water to enter and inflate said sac, means for clamping said element within said open end including an open ended perforated shell and means to draw said element through the water whereby water will enter said perforated shell, pass through the opening in said element to the interior of the sac and out through the opening in the sac causing the sac to follow a tortuous path through the water.

'8. An artificial lure comprising an element of circular cross-section, a wire in the center of said element to draw the samethrough the water, a fish-hook attached to said wire and trailing said element, and a headless eel-skin enclosing said element and fish-hook and provided with an opening through which the barbed end of the hook extends, said element having an opening non-parallel to its center line to permit water to enter the eel-skin and inflate the same as it is drawn through the water.

9. An artificial lure comprising an element, a line extending from one end to draw the element through the water, a fish-hook extending from. the other end and trailing said element, a fiexible envelope enclosing said element and fishhook and provided with an opening through which the barbed end of the hook extends, said element having an opening non-parallel to its center line to permit water to enter the envelope and inflate the same as it is drawn through the water.

JAMES H. HAYES. 

